Shopping complexes with multi-tier parking
New project aims at eliminating congestion along the city roads.The Coimbatore Corporation has begun moves to have shopping complexes with multi-tier parking lots in order to eliminate congestion along the city roads.The Corporation Council passed on Tuesday a resolution for inviting expression of interest from private parties for building these structures on a design-build-operate-transfer basis. The civic body has planned multi-tier lots at busy commercial centres in the city as there is scarcity of space for parking in these areas.This is a project under the Central Government’s infrastructure development programme -- Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission.Actually, it is a part of the traffic engineering project under the mission. This component of the mission involves providing wide roads, modern traffic systems and also centralised multi-tier parking lots that will prevent parked vehicles from restricting space for driving.The Corporation has identified sites on Cross Cut Road and D.B. Road for the project. Both are popular shopping centres on which there is a battle for parking space.
The Corporation has already begun creating parking space for 200 cars on its site along Cross Cut Road.Apart from catering to the rising vehicle population, the Corporation’s project is to contain the damage already caused by the construction of multi-storeyed commercial complexes without providing space for parking vehicles.At present, people visiting most of the complexes are forced to park their vehicles along arterial roads.Though the district administration, the Local Planning Authority and the Coimbatore Corporation have begun efforts to prevent unauthorised structures on spaces meant for parking in buildings, the damage already done requires remedy in the form of the multi-tier lots.
Corporation Commissioner P. Muthuveeran said at the meeting that these were two sites identified initially, but certainly not the only two spots for such facilities in the city.If councillors came across sites where more parking lots were needed, they could bring these to the notice of the Corporation.As for the period of DBOT, the Commissioner said it would be decided after scrutinising the expression of interest.
